Wireless Extender Auto-Discovery and Secure Provisioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless local area networks (WLANs) lack an efficient method for automatically discovering and provisioning the best wireless connection between access points, leading to increased complexity due to the need for user input of radio and privacy settings, and lack of automation in establishing secure direct connections.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where a wireless extender automatically discovers a wireless root access point, exchanges parameters, tunes its radio and privacy settings, and establishes a secure direct wireless connection using public-private key pairs for mutual authentication and encryption, thereby simplifying the extension of WLAN range and reducing user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a wireless extender connects to multiple wireless root access points in a network, then the extender has more connection options, but there is no means to determine which access point would provide the best connection
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless extender automatically discovers available wireless root access points, evaluates connection quality metrics (signal strength, hop count, client number), and autonomously selects the optimal access point without user intervention. The system performs self-service by autonomously completing the connection selection process that would otherwise require manual user input.
2Reliability
If a user manually inputs radio settings and privacy settings into the wireless extender, then the extender can be configured to connect to the network, but the complexity and difficulty of extending the WLAN increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless extender automatically obtains radio settings (channel, SSID) and privacy settings (authentication data, cipher data, key data) through automated discovery and provisioning protocols. The system performs self-service by autonomously completing the configuration process that would otherwise require manual user input, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring the wireless extender with necessary credentials and settings through automated exchange with the wireless root access point before the actual connection is established. This preliminary automated configuration eliminates the need for manual setup by users.
3Extent of automation
If automated discovery and provisioning is implemented, then the complexity of extending WLAN is reduced, but secure direct wireless connection requires robust authentication mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
Public-private key pairs serve as cryptographic intermediaries that enable secure automated authentication and key exchange between the wireless extender and wireless root access point. The cryptographic keys mediate the secure connection establishment, allowing automated provisioning while maintaining robust security through mutual authentication and encrypted communication channels.
Data Source
AI summary
According to embodiments of the invention, a first wireless access point discovers a second wireless access point, the first wireless access point tunes its radio and privacy settings, without user input, based upon parameters automatically exchanged in response to the discovery of the second wireless access point, and a secure direct wireless connection is established between the first and second wireless access points using the radio and privacy settings. Adding the first wireless to an existing mesh network includes a determination of the best available direct wireless connection.